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A 30-year-old woman has reached the base camp of Sabarimala temple here and sought police protection to offer prayers at the hill shrine after it opened for a two-day special puja Monday evening, an official said.

The woman, Anju, identified herself as a native of Cherthala in Alappuzha district.

She along with her husband and two children approached the Pamba police soon after the temple was opened.

"She is at the police control room here now. She says she wants to trek to the hill shrine. No decision has been taken so far on whether to take her to the temple or not today," a police official told PTI.

Her husband Abhilash and children aged 7 and 4 years are with her, he said.

T V channels aired the visuals of Anju and husband talking to police personnel at the control room.

As the news spread, a large number of devotees gathered at a local auditorium here and began chanting Lord Ayyappa matras to protest the arrival of the young woman.

Armed with the recent Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all age groups into the shrine around a dozen women in the "traditionally barred" age group of 10-50 years had tried in vain to reach the Sabarimala Temple but were forced to return after being heckled by devotees last month.

The temple would close at 10 pm Monday night before opening again on Tuesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)